Keeping Up With All The Industry Press Releases
In the first action sports event to take place in North America since the pandemic put large events on hold, X Games Aspen 2021 content across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC experienced double-digit viewership increases on television and triple-digit growth on @XGames social and digital media platforms.
The post Driven by Young Talent, X Games Aspen 2021 TV Viewership, Social and Digital Content Experience Significant Growth appeared first on ESPN Press Room U.S..
Baltimore-Buffalo sets NBC Sports Digital Record for NFL Divisional Playoff Game
STAMFORD, Conn. – Jan. 20, 2021 – NBC’s broadcast of the Buffalo Bills’ 17-3 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Playoff last weekend delivered the network’s largest Saturday primetime audience in four years, and the largest Saturday night audience on any network since last January.
The Ravens-Bills game averaged a Total Audience Delivery of 27.1 million viewers across NBC TV, Universo, NBC Sports Digital and NFL Digital platforms, and Verizon Media mobile properties, according to official data released today by Nielsen, and digital data from Adobe Analytics.
The TAD of 27.1 million viewers ranks as NBC’s most-watched Saturday primetime show in four years, since its 2016 NFC Wild Card game (Lions-Seahawks, 27.1 million, Jan. 7, 2017). In addition, the NBC audience of 26.2 million is the most-watched Saturday primetime show on any network since the Titans-Ravens 2019 AFC Divisional Playoff (1/11/20 on CBS).
Viewership on NBC peaked at 28.3 million viewers from 9:30-9:45 p.m. ET, in the second quarter. Saturday night’s game (8:16 p.m.-11:13 p.m. ET) registered a national TV household rating of 13.7/30.
Ravens-Bills delivered an Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 808,000 viewers across NBC Sports digital platforms, NFL digital platforms, Ravens and Bills mobile properties, and Verizon Media mobile properties – ranking as the most streamed NBC NFL Divisional Playoff game ever. The game’s streaming audience is also the second-largest ever for an NBC NFL Playoff game, excluding Super Bowls, trailing only last week’s Browns-Steelers Wild Card matchup.
Top Metered Markets for Ravens-Bills (based on 56 markets):
| 1. | Buffalo | 52.8/75 |
| 2. | Baltimore | 33.8/57 |
| 3. | New Orleans | 24.1/38 |
| 4. | Kansas City | 24.0/44 |
| 5. | Pittsburgh | 23.7/39 |
| 6. | Cleveland | 23.2/42 |
| 7. | Washington, D.C. | 21.4/42 |
| 8. | Denver | 20.6/43 |
| 9. | Albuquerque | 20.4/33 |
| 10. | Cincinnati | 20.1/39 |
–NBC SPORTS–
Tampa Bay-Washington Game on NBC Delivers Largest Saturday Primetime Audience on any Network Since 2019 NFL Divisional Playoffs
Peacock, NBC Sports Digital, NFL Digital & Verizon Media Mobile Properties Register Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 1.04 Million Viewers for Browns-Steelers – Setting NBC Sports Digital Record for NFL Game, Excluding Super Bowls
STAMFORD, Conn. – Jan. 12, 2021 – NBC Sports’ presentation of a pair of NFL Super Wild Card Weekend games delivered two of primetime television’s three largest audiences since last February (based on data available through Sun., Jan. 10).
Sunday Night (Cleveland-Pittsburgh)
Despite Cleveland’s one-sided, 28-0 first-quarter start – which matched a half-century old playoff record (Raiders 28-0 over Oilers, Dec. 21, 1969) – Sunday night’s Browns-Steelers game averaged a Total Audience Delivery of 26.0 million viewers across NBC TV, Telemundo, Peacock, NBC Sports Digital and NFL Digital platforms, and Verizon Media mobile properties, according to official data released today by Nielsen, and digital data from Adobe Analytics.
The NBC audience of 24.8 million viewers ranks as television’s most-watched primetime show since Super Bowl Sunday last February 2. Viewership on NBC peaked at 27.6 million viewers from 9:15-9:30 p.m. ET, in the second quarter. Sunday night’s game (8:16 p.m.-11:20 p.m. ET), which Baker Mayfield-led Cleveland won 48-37, registered a national TV household rating of 13.4/28.
Browns-Steelers, which marked the first-ever live NFL game on NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming platform, delivered an Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 1.04 million viewers across Peacock, NBC Sports digital platforms, NFL digital platforms, Browns and Steelers mobile properties, and Verizon Media mobile properties – ranking as the most streamed NBC NFL game ever, excluding Super Bowls.
Top Metered Markets for Browns-Steelers (based on 44 markets available):
| 1. | Cleveland | 51.5/74 |
| 2. | Pittsburgh | 39.9/59 |
| 3. | Columbus | 30.6/51 |
| 4. | Kansas City | 24.1/41 |
| 5. | Cincinnati | 23.4/41 |
| 6. | Baltimore | 22.5/39 |
| 7. | Milwaukee | 21.0/38 |
| 8. | San Diego | 19.7/36 |
| 9. | Washington, D.C. | 18.4/34 |
| 10. | Nashville | 18.1/29 |
Saturday Night (Tampa Bay-Washington)
Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 31-23 Wild Card win over a Washington Football Team led by unheralded quarterback Taylor Heinicke registered a TAD of 22.2 million on Saturday night.
Tampa Bay-Washington averaged 21.4 million viewers on NBC to rank as the most-watched Saturday primetime show on any network since the Titans-Ravens 2019 AFC Divisional Playoff (1/11/20 on CBS). Saturday night’s game (8:15 p.m.-11:34 p.m. ET) registered a national TV household rating of 11.5/25.
Top Metered Markets for Bucs-WFT (based on 56 markets):
| 1. | Washington, D.C. | 26.8/48 |
| 2. | Tampa-St. Petersburg | 26.7/47 |
| 3. | New Orleans | 24.5/35 |
| 4. | Providence | 21.5/39 |
| 5. | Richmond | 21.3/37 |
| 6. | Fort Myers | 20.2/36 |
| 7. | Norfolk | 19.9/36 |
| 8. | Boston | 19.6/37 |
| 9. | Pittsburgh | 18.8/32 |
| 10. | Buffalo | 18.4/32 |
This Saturday night, Jan. 16 on NBC, 2019 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens (12-5) visit 2020 NFL MVP candidate Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills (14-3) in an AFC Divisional Playoff Game. Coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. ET with a special edition of Football Night in America.
–NBC SPORTS–
This year’s College Football Playoff Semifinals started the New Year off strong, registering 19 million average viewers between the two matchups, roughly in line with last year’s CFP Semifinals. The CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Capital One (Alabama vs. Notre Dame: 18,893,000) and the CFP Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl (Clemson vs. Ohio State: 19,149,000) are the top telecasts on cable since the 2020 CFP National Championship Game, making the semifinal round the best non-NFL sporting event across any network since LSU’s victory in the 2020 national title game. Additionally, the Rose Bowl Game was up 8 percent year-over-year compared to the early semifinal in 2020.
The post College Football Playoff Semifinals Average 19 Million Viewers, ESPN’s Third-Most Watched Day on Record appeared first on ESPN Press Room U.S..
The 2020 ACC Championship Game between then-No. 2 Notre Dame and then-No. 3 Clemson was one for the record books, as the rematch between the Fighting Irish and Tigers registered 10,180,000 viewers across all TV and streaming platforms to rank as the most-viewed conference championship game this weekend and the most-viewed ACC Championship of all time.
The post 2020 ACC Championship Game Tops Record Books as Most-Viewed ACC Championship of All Time, Averaging 10,180,000 Viewers appeared first on ESPN Press Room U.S..
Game Averaged Total Audience Delivery of 20.2 Million Viewers – Best Week 11 NBC SNF Viewership Since 2017 & Up 17% from Last Year
Raiders Register Highest Local Market Rating in First Season in Las Vegas; Chiefs Deliver Second-Best NBC SNF Rating in Kansas City
STAMFORD, Conn. – November 24, 2020 – The Kansas City Chiefs’ down-to-the-wire 35-31 victory over their AFC West-rival Las Vegas Raiders on NBC Sunday Night Football averaged a Total Audience Delivery of 20.2 million viewers across NBC TV, NBC Sports Digital and NFL Digital Platforms – to rank as television’s most-watched primetime show since the NFL Kickoff Game on Thurs., Sept. 10, according to official data released today by Nielsen, and digital data from Adobe Analytics.
Sunday night’s viewership average of 20.2 million viewers is the best for an NBC SNF Week 11 game since 2017, and topped by 17% last year’s Week 11 SNF game (17.3 million viewers for Bears-Rams).
Viewership on NBC peaked at 20.9 million viewers from 9:30-9:45 p.m. ET, and also topped 20 million (20.6 million) for the exciting conclusion from 11:15-11:27 p.m. ET, as Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs on the game-winning, seven-play scoring drive, culminating with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce with 28 seconds remaining.
The Average Minute Audience (AMA) for last night’s live stream via NBC Sports digital platforms, NFL Digital platforms, Chiefs and Raiders mobile properties, and Verizon Media mobile properties was 647,000 viewers – the third-most streamed Sunday NBC NFL regular-season game ever – and up 85% from last year’s Week 11 (350,000).
Sunday night’s game (8:23 p.m.-11:27 p.m. ET) registered a national TV household rating of 10.8/23.
Local Market Milestones
The Chiefs delivered a 50.0/74 local rating in Kansas City, marking their second-highest home market performance in 17 games since the NBC SNF package debuted in 2006. The Raiders registered a 22.6/38 local rating in Las Vegas – the highest figure in their inaugural season in the city.
TOP METERED MARKETS FOR CHIEFS-RAIDERS (based on 44 markets available):
| 1. | Kansas City | 50.0/74 |
| 2. | Las Vegas | 22.6/38 |
| 3. | Sacramento | 19.5/35 |
| 4. | San Diego | 17.0/32 |
| 5. | Denver | 16.5/31 |
| T6. | Seattle | 16.4/31 |
| T6. | San Francisco | 16.4/34 |
| 8. | Pittsburgh | 15.1/26 |
| 9. | Portland | 14.5/29 |
| 10. | Indianapolis | 13.8/25 |
– NBC SPORTS –
Viewership on NBC Broadcast Network Posts 3% Gains vs. 2019, Averaging Total Audience Delivery of 3.234 Million Viewers
Season-Long 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Viewership (2.597 Million Viewers) Across NBC and NBCSN Even with 2019
NBC Sports’ Most-Streamed NASCAR Cup Series Season on Record
Cup Series Championship Race from Phoenix on NBC Delivers TAD of 3.093 Million Viewers, Up 20% From 2019 Phoenix Playoff Race
STAMFORD, Conn. – November 10, 2020 – Despite the season being significantly affected by COVID-19 – including a number of rescheduled races and limited fan attendance – NBC Sports’ 2020 coverage of the NASCAR Cup Series matched its viewership numbers from the 2019 campaign, headlined by a 3% viewership gain for races airing on the NBC broadcast network.
NBC Sports’ 2020 NASCAR Cup Series viewership (19 races) across NBC and NBCSN produced a Total Audience Delivery of 2.597 million viewers, according to Nielsen and digital data from Adobe Analytics, matching viewership for the comparable 19 races on NBC and NBCSN in 2019 (2.597 million viewers). This season’s viewership includes the Kansas weeknight race and excludes the weather-impacted Texas race.
Season-long viewership on NBC (8 races) averaged a TAD of 3.234 million viewers, up 3% vs. last season (7 races; 3.147 million). The season was capped by Chase Elliott’s first-career Cup Series championship on NBC last Sunday, which produced a TAD of 3.093 million viewers (1.87 HH rating, 3.063 million TV-only), up 18% from last season’s Phoenix playoff race on NBC (2.588 million viewers). Viewership peaked at more than four million viewers (4.087 million; 6-6:15 p.m. ET) as Elliott crossed the finish line for his first-career title.
The 2020 Cup Series also delivered NBC Sports’ most-streamed NASCAR season record, producing an Average Minute Audience of 27,300 viewers, up 29% vs. 2019 (21,100 viewers).
Greenville-Spartanburg led all markets for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series on NBC and NBCSN with a 4.2 local rating, followed by Charlotte and Knoxville (4.0). Following are the Top 10 markets for 2020 campaign:
| Rank | Market | HH Rating |
| 1 | Greenville-Spartanburg | 4.2 |
| t-2 | Charlotte | 4.0 |
| t-2 | Knoxville | 4.0 |
| 4 | Greensboro-High Point | 3.8 |
| 5 | Indianapolis | 3.5 |
| 6 | Richmond | 3.3 |
| 7 | Ft. Myers-Naples | 3.1 |
| t-8 | Nashville | 3.0 |
| t-8 | Birmingham | 3.0 |
| 10 | Dayton | 2.9 |
–NBC SPORTS–
NBCSN Posts Its Best Total Day Viewership of Any Non-Olympic Quarter
GOLF Channel was #1 Single-Sport Network in Third Quarter Total Day Viewership; Ranked in Top 3 Among All Cable Sports Nets for First Time in History
STAMFORD, Conn. – October 1, 2020 – Buoyed by the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs being played in August and September for the first time (due to the COVID-19 pandemic), NBCSN delivered its best third-quarter primetime viewership ever, according to live plus same day data for the quarter (June 29-Sept. 27) released by Nielsen.
NBCSN also registered its best Total Day (6 a.m.-6 a.m.) viewership in any quarter, excluding those with Olympics, as the Premier League, NASCAR, INDYCAR, and the rescheduled Tour de France added large audiences to daily NHL figures.
Featuring the conclusion of the PGA TOUR FedExCup Playoffs, U.S. Open, and Golf Central Live From the U.S. Open, GOLF Channel topped all single-sport networks in third-quarter Total Day viewership. In addition, for the first time in any quarter in the network’s history, GOLF Channel ranked in the top three among all sports cable networks in Total Day.
NBCSN & GOLF Channel highlights:
Additional Highlights:
–NBC SPORTS GROUP-
NBC TV Viewership Peaked at 22.0 Million; NFL Kickoff Game is Only 2nd Show Since Super Bowl Sunday to Top 20 Million Viewers
Texans-Chiefs Is NBC Sports Digital’s Most-Streamed NFL Game, Excluding Super Bowls – UP 55% from Last Year
Jared Goff & Los Angeles Rams Open SoFi Stadium vs. Dak Prescott & Dallas Cowboys This Sunday on NBC; Coverage Begins with FNIA at 7 p.m. ET, Followed by SNF at 8:20 p.m. ET
STAMFORD, Conn. – September 11, 2020 – Despite the largest fourth-quarter deficit (24 points) in an NFL Kickoff Game in seven years, the Kansas City Chiefs’ 34-20 victory over the Houston Texans in the opening game of the NFL season last night averaged a preliminary* Total Audience Delivery of 20.3 million viewers across NBC TV, NBC Sports Digital, and NFL Digital platforms – making it the most-watched sporting event since Super Bowl LIV in February, according to Fast National data released today by Nielsen, and digital data from Adobe Analytics.
*Does not include Out of Home viewership, which is included in official national viewership, and will be available early next week.
NBC’s TV coverage peaked at 22.0 million viewers between 9:15-9:30 p.m. ET, and topped 20 million viewers in every quarter-hour from 8:45 p.m. ET through 9:45 p.m. ET. The broadcast averaged 19.3 million viewers on NBC.
With 20.3 million viewers, the NFL Kickoff Game is only the second show since the Super Bowl Sunday to average at least 20 million viewers (Academy Awards, 23.6 million on Feb. 9). Last night’s game faced unprecedented sports competition, as both NBA and NHL playoff games were contested at the same time.
The Average Minute Audience (AMA) for last night’s live stream via NBC Sports digital platforms, NFL Digital platforms, Chiefs and Texans mobile properties, and Verizon Media mobile properties was 970,000 viewers – the highest ever for an NBC NFL game, excluding Super Bowls – and up 55% from last year’s NFL Kickoff Game (627,000).
Last night’s game (8:28 p.m.-11:05 p.m. ET) registered a national TV household rating of 11.2/23.
TOP METERED MARKETS FOR TEXANS-CHIEFS (based on 44 markets available):
| 1. | Kansas City | 47.8/71 |
| 2. | Houston | 20.6/39 |
| 3. | Denver | 18.8/36 |
| 4. | Austin | 17.2/34 |
| 5. | Indianapolis | 16.8/32 |
| 6. | Pittsburgh | 16.7/28 |
| 7. | Baltimore | 16.1/28 |
| 8. | Philadelphia | 15.9/27 |
| 9. | Providence | 15.8/28 |
| T10. | San Antonio | 15.6/28 |
| T10. | Milwaukee | 15.6/29 |
NBC Sports’ NFL Kickoff Weekend coverage continues this Sunday, Sept. 13 with the season opener of Sunday Night Football as Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams open their spectacular, new SoFi Stadium against Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with Football Night in America, with SNF kickoff at 8:20 p.m. ET.
–SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL–
Nearly 10 Million Watched Authentic Cross the Finish Line in Upset of Tiz the Law
Islanders-Flyers Second-Round Game 7 Immediately Following Kentucky Derby is Most-Watched Game of 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Rescheduled Kentucky Derby on “The First Saturday in September” Tops By 20% Last Year’s Most-Watched Sporting Event on Labor Day Weekend
STAMFORD, Conn. – September 6, 2020 – NBC Sports’ presentation of the rescheduled 146th Kentucky Derby yesterday averaged a preliminary* Total Audience Delivery of 8.4 million viewers across NBC and NBC Sports Digital – ranking as the most-watched sporting event since Super Bowl LIV in February and the most-watched sporting event on Labor Day Weekend since 2017, based on fast national data from Nielsen and digital data from Adobe Analytics (*does not include Out of Home viewership, which is included in official national viewership as of Aug. 31, 2020, and will be available later this week).
In addition, 9.8 million viewers watched on NBC as Authentic crossed the finish line 1¼ lengths ahead of favorite Tiz the Law.
Immediately following the Kentucky Derby on NBC, last night’s Game 7 of the New York Islanders-Philadelphia Flyers Second Round series (a 4-0 Islanders’ victory), averaged a preliminary TAD of 2.57 million viewers – marking the most-watched game of the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Additional Viewership Highlights:
Top 10 Markets for Islanders-Flyers on NBC (*based on available 44 markets):
| Rank | Market | HH Rtg |
| 1 | Philadelphia | 8.9 |
| 2 | Las Vegas | 4.1 |
| 3 | Pittsburgh | 3.6 |
| 4 | Tampa | 2.7 |
| 5 | New York | 2.5 |
| 6 | Baltimore | 2.2 |
| 7 | West Palm Beach | 2.1 |
| 8 | Jacksonville | 2.0 |
| 9 | Raleigh | 1.9 |
| 10 | Cincinnati | 1.7 |
– NBC SPORTS –